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User blog:SPARTAN 119/Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck VS Roman von Ungern-Sternberg
Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, the German master of guerilla warfare known as “The Lion of Africa”, who went undefeated on the African front of WWI. VS Roman von Ungern-Sternberg, the mad German monarchist who tried to restore Tsarist Russia and the Mongol Empire in the early 20th century. WHO IS DEADLIEST!? =Combatants= Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck (20 March 1870 – 9 March 1964) was a general in the Imperial German Army and the commander of its forces in the German East Africa campaign. For four years, with a force that never exceeded about 14,000 (3,000 Germans and 11,000 Africans), he held in check a much larger force of 300,000 British, Belgian, and Portuguese troops. Essentially undefeated in the field, Lettow-Vorbeck was the only German commander to successfully invade imperial British soil during the First World War, and won several battles against his Allied adversaries, including Tanga, Mahiwa, and Ngomano. Lettow-Vorbeck did not surrender to the British until After the war, Lettow-Vorbeck was widely seen as a hero in Germany, and was admired by Germans, African Askari colonial troops, and even the allies, becoming widely known as “The Lion of Africa”. His exploits in the campaign have been described by Edwin Palmer Hoyt "as the greatest single guerrilla operation in history, and the most successful." On the other hand, Lettow-Vorbeck is villified by others for his atrocities against that native African population, including the destruction of crops, which cause approximately 365,000 deaths from famine and disease after the war. After the war, Lettow-Vorbeck, would briefly serve as an officer in the Weimar Republic Army, where his troops put down the Spartacist Revolt without firing a shot, though he lost command of his army after the Kapp Putsch in 1920. Lettow-Vorbeck never served as a combat commander again, though he is famous for refusing an offer from Hitler to serve as an ambassador for Nazi Germany in 1935. Roman von Ungern-Sternberg Baron Roman Nicolaus Maximilian von Ungern-Sternberg (Russian: Барон Ро́берт-Ни́колай-Максими́лиан Рома́н Фёдорович фон У́нгерн-Ште́рнберг) (10 January 1886 NS – 15 September 1921) was an anti-Bolshevik lieutenant general in the Russian Civil War and then an independent warlord whose Asiatic Cavalry Division wrested control of Mongolia from the Republic of China in 1921 after its occupation. He was often referred to as Baron Ungern, or simply Ungern. Ungern was an arch-conservative pan-monarchist who aspired to restore the Russian monarchy under Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia and to revive the Mongol Empire under the rule of the Bogd Khan. During the Russian Civil War, Ungern's attraction to Vajrayana Buddhism and his eccentric, often violent treatment of enemies, civilians, particularly and his own men, earned him the sobriquet "the Mad Baron”. Ungern would prove to be an effective, if almost insanely reckless cavalry commander, winning multiple engagements in the First World War and Russian Civil War, where he held a portion of Siberia around Dauria and Hailan on the Russian-Mongolian border, where he became infamous for atrocities against his perceived enemies, including Bolsheviks and Jews. Ungern was eventually expelled and forced to flee to Mongolia in 1920, but he took this as an opportunity to further his monarchist goals by expelling Chinese forces from Mongolia, taking the country and placing it under the rule of the Bogd Khan by February, 1921, with the intent of eventually reviving the Mongol Empire. In the spring of 1921, the Red Army invaded Mongolia with the intent of eliminating the threat posed by Ungern. The Soviets defeated Ungern in multiple battles using armored vehicles, heavy artillery, and aircraft, before Ungern was finally captured in August 1921 after attempting to cross the Gobi desert to counterattack into the Soviet Union, after his men mutinied and turned him over to Soviet authorities. Ungern was executed about a month later. =Weapons= Knives Machete (Vorbeck) The people of the German African colonies that Lettow-Vorbeck drew many of his askari troops and ruga-ruga auxiliaries had long used various machete-like knives as both tools and weapons. A machete is a large, heavy-bladed knife about 18 inches in length used in many tropical areas, most notably Latin America and Africa. The weapon is often used for cutting sugar cane or brush and other mundane purposes, but it is used as a weapon to this day, particularly by peasant militias and rebels in Africa and Latin America. Kindjal (Sternberg) The kindjal, also known as the khanjali or khanzal, is double-edged dagger traditionally used by the Cossack, Circassian, and Georgian peoples. The kindjal is similar in appearance to a shortened Roman Gladius. The weapon is intended as a secondary weapon to the a saber or shaska. 119’s Edge The machete has a longer blade, however, the Kindjal is a thrusting, rather than cutting weapon, meaning it is more likely to inflict a fatal wound. Swords German Sabre (Vorbeck) The German Army at the start of World War I used a cavalry sabre known as the Blucher, essentially a copy of the British Pattern 1796 Sabre which was first adopted by the Prussians in 1811. Examples from the period around WWI vary in the amount of curvature of the blade, from nearly straight to having a pronounced curve. Shashka (Sternberg) The Shashka is a single-edged sabre used by the Cossacks. The weapon had was distinctive for its lack of a handguard, and for its sharp, strong, heavy blade, giving it greater slashing power, especially from horseback. 119’s Edge The Shashka has a sharper, heavier blade, however the German Sabre has a handguard, allowing it to better protect the hand. Even Pistols 1 Luger P08 (Vorbeck) The Pistole Parabellum 1908 or Parabellum-Pistole (Pistol Parabellum) — popularly known as the Luger — is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. The design was patented by Georg J. Luger in 1898 and produced by German arms manufacturer Deutsche Waffen- und Munitionsfabriken (DWM) starting in 1900; it was an evolution of the 1893 Hugo Borchardt designed C-93. The first Parabellum pistol was adopted by the Swiss army in May 1900. In German army service it was succeeded and partly replaced by the Walther P38 in caliber 9x19mm, seeing use in both World Wars. The Luger fired a 9mm Parabellum round from a eight round detachable box magazine, with an effective range of up to 50 meters and a muzzle velocity of 350-400 meters per second. Mauser C96 The Mauser C96 (Construktion 96) is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937. Unlicensed copies of the gun were also manufactured in Spain and China in the first half of the 20th century. The weapon fired a 7.63mm Mauser round with an effective range of 150-200 meters when using a stock, though these ranges would likely be reduced when using it as a handgun. The C96 had a muzzle velocity of 425 m/s and fired from ten-round magazine fed by a stripper clip. The weapon came in a holster stock. The Mauser C96 was widely used by various Russian and Chinese factions around the time of Ungern, and would have likely fallen into the hands of his troops (indeed, depictions of one of his soldiers carrying a Mauser do exist). 119’s Edge Ungern’s Mauser C96 for its higher muzzle velocity, and longer range. Pistols 2 M1879 Reichrevolver (Vorbeck) The M1879 Reichsrevolver, or Reichs-Commissions-Revolver Modell 1879 and 1883, were single-action service revolvers used by the German Army from 1879 to 1908, when it was superseded by the Luger. In spite of its dated design, the M1879 was used in the First World War as insufficient numbers of Lugers were available. Lettow-Vorbeck’s forces were often equipped with outdated weapons as they did not have enough modern weapons. The M1879 fired a 10.6 x 25mm cartridge at a muzzle velocity of 202 meters per second from a six-shot cylinder. It was unlikely that weapon would be effective at longer ranges than 50 meters, and, like most handguns, was usually used at far shorter ranges. Nagant M1895 (Sternberg) The Nagant M1895 Revolver was a seven-shot, gas-seal revolver designed and produced by Belgian industrialist Léon Nagant for the Russian Empire. The Nagant M1895 was chambered for a proprietary cartridge, 7.62×38mmR, and featured an unusual "gas-seal" system, in which the cylinder moved forward when the gun was cocked, to close the gap between the cylinder and the barrel, providing a boost to the muzzle velocity of the fired projectile and allowing the weapon to be suppressed (an unusual ability for a revolver). The weapon had an effective range of 46 meters, and a muzzle velocity of 272 meters per second. 119’s Edge Sternberg’s Nagant for its higher muzzle velocity and extra round in the cylinder. Rifles 1 Mauser 1871 (Vorbeck) The Mauser 1871 was the predescessor to the more famous Mauser Gewehr 98, adopted in 1871 and serving for much of the latter part of the 19th century, though it was obsolete by the turn of the 20th century. Some Mauser 71s were upgraded to use an 8-round tube-magazine, though many were not upgraded even as of WWI, often used by auxiliaries and colonial troops. For the purposes of this match, the Mauser 71 used by Lettow-Verbek’s men, will be a single shot bolt-action rifle firing an 11mm black powder cartridge with a muzzle velocity of 440 m/s. Berdan Rifle (Sternberg) The Berdan rifle (винтовка Бердана/vintovka Berdana in Russian) is a Russian rifle created by famous American firearms expert and inventor Hiram Berdan in 1868. It was standard issue in the Russian army from 1870 to 1891, when it was replaced by the Mosin–Nagant rifle. The weapon was originally a single-shot trap door design, though that was later replaced by a single shot bolt-action design, which will appear in this match. The weapon fire a 10.7mm cartridge at a muzzle velocity of 447 m/s. 119’s Edge The two weapons are similar enough to be considered Even. Rifles 2 Mauser-Verguiero (Vorbeck) The Mauser–Vergueiro was a bolt-action rifle, designed in 1904 by José Alberto Vergueiro, an infantry officer of the Portuguese Army, and manufactured by Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM). It was developed from the Mauser 98 rifle with the introduction of a new bolt system derived from the Gewehr 1888 and Mannlicher–Schönauer. Outside Portugal, the weapon was also known as the Portuguese Mauser. It used the 6.5×58mm Vergueiro, a cartridge developed specially for it. As his forces were separated from resupply, Lettow-Vorbeck was often forced to seize weapons and ammunition from his British, French, and Portuguese adversaries, the Mauser-Vergueiro being one example. The Mauser-Verguiero fired a 6.5mm Vergueiro round with a muzzle velocity of 725 m/s, from a five-round internal magazine. Arisaka Type 38 (Sternberg) The Arisaka Type 38 was was a 6.5mm service rifle used by the Imperial Japanese Army from 1906 to 1945, seeing action in both World Wars, as well as the Second Sino-Japanese War, and was also purchased by Thailand, Mexico, and Russia, among other countries. Of particular note is the use of the weapon in Russian service, where it was widely used in World War I and the Russian Civil War that followed. The Arisaka fired a 6.5mm cartridge which was smaller and less powerful than some other rounds, such as the 7.62mm Russian or .303 British, with a muzzle 762 meters per second and an effective range of 400-500 meters. 119’s Edge The two weapons are similar enough to be considered Even, both firing a relatively light cartridge. . Rifles 3 Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (Vorbeck) As stated above, Lettow Vorbeck was often forced to used captured ammunition and weapons. As the British were a common foe of Vorbecks, among these weapon have been the Lee-Enfield. The Lee-Enfield was a British bolt action rifle that was the standard issue weapon for the British Army and most Commonwealth armies from 1895-1957, seeing service in both World Wars. While there were initial reliability problems, these were resolved with the Short Magazine Lee-Enfield, which featured higher velocity rounds and improved handguards. In both World Wars and Korea, the weapon was equipped with a scope and used as sniper weapon. The weapon fired a .303 round with a muzzle velocity of 744 meters per second and an effective range of about 500 meters. The weapon fired from a ten-round magazine fed by two stripper clips. Mosin-Nagant (Sternberg) The Mosin–Nagant (Russian: Винтовка Мосина, ISO 9: Vintovka Mosina) is a bolt-action, internal magazine-fed, military rifle invented under the government commission by Russian and Belgian inventors, and used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various other nations. It is one of the longest serving bolt action rifles in history, being issued until the 1940s (and up to the 1960s in third world client nations of the USSR). The weapon fired a 7.62mm round with a muzzle velocity of 865 m/s and an effective range of 500 meters. The weapon had a five-round magazine. 119’s Edge The two weapons have comparable ranges and both are bolt-action weapons. The point in which the Lee-Enfield rifle scores significantly better than the Mosin-Nagant is in magazine capacity, meaning it can fire more rounds before reloading. This gives it a slight edge over the Mosin. Edge: Vorbeck Machine Guns MG-08 (Vorbeck) The Maschinengewehr 08, or MG 08, was the German Army's standard machine gun in World War I and is an adaptation of Hiram S. Maxim's original 1884 Maxim gun. It was produced in a number of variants during the war. The gun used 250-round fabric belts of 7.92×57mm ammunition, firing at between 500 and 600 rounds per minute It was water-cooled, using a jacket around the barrel that held approximately one gallon of water. Like most heavy machine guns of the First World War, the weapon could be fired both directly or even in indirect fire, with an effective range of 2000 meters, though in direct fire, it was often used at much shorter ranges- often less than 500 meters. PM-1910 (Sternberg) The PM M1910 (Russian: Пулемёт Максима образца 1910 года, Pulemyot Maxima obraztsa 1910 goda or "Maxim's machine gun model 1910") was a water-cooled heavy machine gun used by the Imperial Russian Army during World War I and the Red Army during Russian Civil War and World War II. The weapon fired from a 250-round belt at a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute. The weapon had an effective range of up to 1000 meters in direct fire, though it fired a high-velocity round that would have allowed for indirect fire similar to the MG 08, assuming the gunner was properly trained. 119’s Edge The two weapons are similar enough to be called Even =X-Factors= Explanations In terms of tactics, both score highly, but Lettow-Vorbeck scores slightly higher because of his mastery of guerilla tactics, as well as the fact that, while Sternberg was a skilled cavalry tactician, borrowing tactics from Genghis Khan, he was also prone to foolhardy, even suicidal attacks, such as charging at machine guns and armored vehicles, while Lettow-Vorbeck was undefeated in battle. In terms of logistics, Sternberg takes the edge, as while he still had to capture a lot of equipment from the Chinese and rival Russian factions, he was still supplied by Japanese arms dealers, while Lettow-Vorbeck was supplied almost solely by scavenging enemy weapons and ammunition after he ran out of his initial supplies. In terms of combat experience, both of them are highly experienced in combat, however, Lettow-Vorbeck takes the edge for being undefeated in combat. In terms of brutality, both have gained infamy for having committed atrocities against the native populations of the region of their operations, however, Sternberg takes an edge for his extremely brutal torture and execution of his enemies. There were even rumors that collected the bones of some of those he killed. In terms of mental health, Lettow-Vorbeck was essentially sane, while Sternberg was clearly mentally unstable, believing himself to be the successor to Genghis Khan and that he could revive both the Russian and Mongol Empires, and prone to both extreme brutality and suicidal attacks, including attempting to attack machine guns and armored vehicles with cavalry charges, as well attempting to cross the Gobi Desert with inadequate supplies- the latter was what finally drove his army to mutiny and hand him over to the Soviets. =Notes= The battle will take place in an area near the boundary between an open plain and a forest. Battle will be 8 vs 8, with three men on horseback and five infantry. =Battle= Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck: x8 Roman von Ungern Sternberg: x8 Roman von Ungern-Sternberg sat on horseback at a small camp in the middle of an open plain with scattered trees and rock outcrops, along with two other men on horseback and five on foot. Little did they know, they were being watched. Perched on top of a rocky hill that was the highest point in the area were eight German and Askari soldiers, led by Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck. Assuming the unknown troops on the plains below were enemies, Lettow-Vorbeck ordered his men to prepare an ambush, setting up an MG-08 machine gun on the hill as the others readied their rifles. As soon as Vorbeck gave the order, the machine gun roared to life, spitting out a storm of lead that cut down one of Sternberg's cavalry and one infantryman. The surviving soldiers of Sternberg's Asiatic Volunteer Cavalry ran for cover and machine gun fire tore through their camp, ducking trees, rocks, and whatever other cover could be found. Two of them ran to a machine gun nest placed a rise overlooking Sternberg's camp. One of Vorbeck's askari, however, spotted him and fired a Lee-Enfield captured from the British. The .303 round impacted the Sternberg's solder in the back, dropping him to the ground. The assistant gunner, however, made it to the machine gun and started firing. Most of Lettow-Vorbeck's troops were behind cover, but as luck would have it, one of them was hit by fire from the machine gun as he rose to fire. Soon after, a well-placed shot from a Mosin-Nagant dropped a second German. Suddenly, the gunner on Sternberg's machine gun was hit by a shot to the head from the flank. Under cover of the machine gun fire, two German infantry and two cavalry had charged the flank of Sternberg's camp and one of the flanking German infantry had hit the machine gunner with well-placed shot from a Mauser-Vergiero. As a German cavalryman approached, saber in hand, one of Sternberg's soldiers, who by this point dismounted and gotten into cover, drew his Mauser C96 and fired three shots into the chest of the German horseman, blowing him off his horse. The four remaining soldiers of the Sternberg's Asiatic Volunteer cavalry had by now dismounted and ran for cover to a group of rocks on the edge of a hill. One of them didn't make it, and was cut down by a German cavalryman with a saber as he ran. Sternberg and the other two soldiers, however, made it to cover, and returned fire with their weapons, Sternberg's Nagant, and the other two's rifles, a Berdan and Arisaka respectively. One of the German infantry was hit twice in the chest and collapsed to the ground. As Sternberg's soldiers rose to fire, he was struck by a bullet fired by Lettow-Vorbeck himself, who was armed with a captured Lee-Enfield. Not long after, the last survivor of the Asiatic Volunteer Cavalry was struck by several rounds and fell to the ground, dead. Realizing he was the last man standing, Sternberg drew his shashka in his right hand and charged forward, firing his Nagant revolver in the direction of the Germans in his left. He only made it a few meters before he was struck by several bullets and fell to the ground, dead. WINNER: Paul Emil Von Lettow-Vorbeck Expert's Opinion Lettow-Vorbeck won this battle because of his superior tactics and combat experience, generally being considered a master of guerilla warfare, having never been defeated in battle, in spite of being outnumbered, outgunned, and constantly short on supplies. While Sternberg had some successes against the Bolsheviks, Chinese, and Mongolian Reds, his reckless tactics ultimately proved to be the Mad Baron's undoing in this battle, much as they were in real life. To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here. Category:Blog posts